"Hey... Ichika, are you... are you really leaving? Can't you just talk to Dad properly?"
"Yeah, I'll... I'll help talk to him too."
"We'll all go together."
It was Tuesday afternoon, and the quintuplets were no longer in a position to care about Ichika signing with a talent agency. When they got home from school, Ichika was already packing her bags. No matter how much they pleaded, she wouldn't budge.
"Let her leave! Why do we care so much!? Hmph... she's probably thrilled to go have her little 'private world' with her boyfriend!" Nino snapped, glaring viciously at Rin, who was helping Ichika pack.
"I'm not moving to another country, I'm just changing where I sleep. We'll still see each other at school every day."
Ichika was satisfied with her sisters' reactions. Her original plan was to make them feel like she was being stolen, but now... she was actually being "stolen" for real.
Dad seemed truly furious though... but it wasn't all a lie. He's definitely mad about the agency. I'll have to find a chance to apologize and explain everything properly.
"I'll let you know once I find a permanent place~" With a sly smile, Ichika left the apartment with Rin, pulling her suitcase behind her.
"I don't even want to know! Traitor!"
Nino screamed at the closed door, then stormed into her room and slammed her door, leaving the other three looking at each other in dismay. To be honest, they were a little hurt too. They had promised to stay together, and now Ichika was the first to break that bond.
Outside the door, Ichika's expression was complicated.
"Miss your sisters already?"
"I do... it's the first time we've been apart since we were born." Ichika blinked her watery eyes at Rin.
Last night at the dinner table, Rin had followed Maruo's script perfectly, getting into a massive shouting match with him. Ichika was genuinely worried they would start throwing punches, but seeing Rin grip her hand and fight so fiercely for her dreams had moved her deeply.
"I'm relying on you now, Mr. Temporary Boyfriend?"
When Rin brought Ichika to Kaede's house, it was just in time for dinner. The rich aroma of home cooking filled the air.
In the kitchen, Kaede and Nanami were wearing aprons. Hearing the front door, Kaede poked her head out, a brilliant, mischievous grin on her face. Kekeke...
"Rin, go help Ichika move her things to my room. Ichika, we'll help you look for an apartment this weekend. You don't mind squeezing in with me for a couple of days, right?"
"Of course not! I'm just grateful you're taking me in. Something smells amazing."
"Dinner's almost ready. Wash up and let's eat."
After Rin helped move the luggage upstairs, they all sat down for a meal that felt just like their previous gatherings, except this time, Ichika was staying over. After dinner and some casual conversation, Rin, Nanami, and Mashiro headed back to Rin's house next door.
Kaede, Rinon, and Ichika relaxed for a bit before taking turns in the bathroom. Ichika went last.
After a quick shower—skipping the soak—Ichika returned to Kaede's room wearing thin, light pajamas, drying her damp hair with a towel. Her open suitcase lay on the floor, clothes piled in a messy heap.
Kaede pulled Ichika to the vanity and sat her down, turning on the hair dryer to a comfortable warmth.
The warm air tickled Ichika's scalp, but her heart was fluttering for a different reason. Now that it was just the two of them, her curiosity was burning. Looking through the mirror, she noticed Kaede seemed distracted, her eyes constantly drifting toward the window.
Is there something on the window? Ichika glanced that way, but the curtains were drawn. Probably just my imagination.
"Ah~"
Just as she dismissed the thought, a soft, feminine moan seemed to drift through the whirring sound of the hair dryer.
"Huh? Did you hear something?"
"A sound? Oh, that." Kaede switched off the dryer. Now, the sounds that were previously muffled were clear as day, drifting through the window from the house next door.
"Mashiro... stop... stop licking there... it's already so wet... ahhh~~~!"
"....?"
With the dryer off, Ichika heard it perfectly. It was Nanami's voice, but the content was... scandalous!
So Nanami and Mashiro are in that kind of relationship!?
Suddenly, it made sense why Kaede was so comfortable with her boyfriend living with other girls. If they were into each other, then there was no threat. No wonder Kaede is so generous, Ichika thought, her mind involuntarily visualizing Mashiro's head buried between Nanami's thighs.
In reality, it was exactly that. Lips were meeting lips, both above and below, creating wet, squelching sounds.
However, Nanami and Mashiro weren't alone. Rin and Rinon were right there with them. Rinon, like Mashiro, was currently busy "preparing" the feast.
"Ah... haha..." Ichika laughed awkwardly. "That sounds like it's coming from Mashiro and Nanami's room. I didn't realize they were... like that. I'll go close the window."
Flushed with embarrassment, Ichika stood up to shut the window. The closer she got, the clearer the voices became.
"My ass... don't lick my ass..." Nanami's voice was high and breathy, dripping with lust. But then...
Ichika heard another voice. It was Rinon's cool, detached tone.
"She's ready. You can start now."
"!!!!!" Ichika froze. It wasn't just the two girls? Rinon was there too? That meant three of them... Wait!
Ichika remembered Mashiro saying that Rinon, Kaede, and Rin were all "together."
Hiss! Ichika sucked in a breath. Her hand stopped mid-air.
If Mashiro was preparing Nanami, who was Rinon preparing?
As if on cue, Rin's voice drifted over. "Who should I start with?"
""Nanami,"" Mashiro and Rinon said in unison.
The three girls, fresh from their baths, smelled of soap and heat. Their smooth skin and pink crevices were practically radiating pheromones. This "party" wasn't spontaneous; Kaede had specially arranged it to give Ichika a "little taste" of their reality. The chosen victim, of course, was Nanami.
Nanami was the best choice because no matter how many times she was used, she maintained a delicious sense of shame. Plus, she was a trained voice actress.
Rin picked Nanami up, holding her face-to-face as he whispered into her ear.
"Time to test your training~ I want you to make it sound extra seductive~"